Nailclippers and the Nile

(Of all the things I thought I would do, starting a blog is not one of them. Thus begins the experiment!)

After a run in with a few brusk Alitalia flight attendents, a nice 8 year old Tunisian boy, a cool jazz trio from Georgia, and many hours later, I made it to Cairo without incident. The flights were nay bad, and there was a person waiting at the airport with my name on a sign. Cake, really. And, if anyone is wondering, you can take nailclippers on board a flight. I tried to surrender them at security and the guard laughed at me and would not take them!

I am staying at the American University (AUC) hostel. It is a huge, 10 story marbled-front building in a fairly residential neighborhood called Zamalek. I took a few photos of the facade but a guard came over to me and kindly told me to erase them. Attached are some photos of the neighborhood--tall trees, tall buildings, and the Nile, which is a couple of blocks from the hostel.

My first night here I had dinner with my supervisor. If you can imagine, my first supper was Italian! A charming little place around the way, the restaurant has been around for a while and serves quite good pasta dishes. It is popular with residents and students. Even though the waiters wear white shirts and black vests, and the chefs in the open kitchen wear tuques (not the Canadian kind!), it's all very cheap and lovely. We took a walk around the neighborhood afterwards, through the streets, ignoring the sidewalks and avoiding the honking cabs. The cabs, by the way, are my favorite car here: Peugeots, black and white, old school. I'll get a shot of them soon.

Still trying to catch up on my sleep, but happy to sleep in a nice cool room whose AC I don't pay for, till next time!
All the best,
Jennifer